The Black Spirit
by Hidden Wishes
Summary: Aang and his friends are dead. As are all the waterbenders. The Fire Nation rules now, because there are no waterbenders to keep the Avatar cycle going. None left in the world. But suddenly a girl who calls herself the Black Spirit appears, and she can?..
1. The End, of the World's Hope

Avatar does not belong to me, cries. Oh! How I want it!

When Aang was young, he never guessed he could be the Avatar. About 102 years later, he never thought he could save the world, but now, he couldn't believe, that he was here. He now sat, on his knees, his head pressed to the ground, before the Fire Lord. Stealing glances upward before directing his eyes back to the ground, he saw the frightening sight that was the Fire Lord. He sat up in his thrown, flames surrounding him; so close that Aang was sure that he himself was on fire!

"The Avatar…" his voice was loud, and deep, commanding and assertive. "Now, what shall I do with this bother?" Aang's face touched the floor. He was trembling visibly now. The Fire Lord, he had learned, was heartless. It was the only word that could describe him. A half hour ago, Katara was put in the hands of Zuko. Oh how she screamed when he came and took the poor water tribe girl away from the throne room, where they were now. She screamed until Zuko had kneed her in the stomach and she passed out.

To add to that, Toph didn't know to look down at the floor, and spoke against him, so the Fire Lord had her thrown into the flames that burned affront his throne. And when Sokka tried to help her, the Fire Lord had two guards beat him, without using fire, until he was dead, right there, in the throne room. Sokka's dead body lay on the floor still, his blood ran everywhere, and one of Toph's fingers had fallen off her body, and onto the floor. It was burnt, but still recognizable. The entire time, Aang couldn't shift into the Avatar State. It seemed that another guru who also worked with the chakras, like Pathik, had found that Aang had favored Katara, and by putting her in danger, Aang became, once more, attached to her, and blocked his chakras.

So now, he couldn't do anything, and the Fire Lord, could do everything. The heartless Firebender smiled and snapped his fingers. "Put him in a prison immediately," he told a guard. "Over the next two weeks, torture him slowly, so that he won't die until after the two weeks. During those two weeks, send an army to each of the poles to kill every waterbender there is. That will end the avatar cycle, forever." Aang's eyes got wide, and he attempted to look up, but his head was forced back down, knocking his forehead to the floor, making him bleed, his blood joining Sokka's and a small amount of Toph's, that had dripped down.

The guards around him smiled and dragged the now very pale Aang off to where the prisoners were kept. As soon as the guards found the dirtiest, smelliest, and smallest cell they could find, the chucked him in, and chained him to the wall so that he couldn't even lower his arms, and his feet chained as well. As one guard went off, the second smiled evilly at the boy, and punched his cheek, and listened gleefully at the sound of his cheekbone cracking under his fist.

"The next two weeks'll be fun…" he whispered, before leaving the cell, and slamming the gate shut.


	2. The End, of the Avatar

**I do not own Avatar, sorry, I wish I did though…**

Pain. Everyone in the world experiences this feeling. This sensation has two forms: physical, and emotional. Aang remembered when he was ten, when he lived in the temples, so many years ago. Another young boy had pushed him into the dirt because Aang had bragged how he won their game of air ball. So Aang in reply had called the boy ugly, which he was. He recalled that the boy he called ugly, had an oddly shaped head, more like an oval than a circular shape, like a normal head would be. The boy also had a pug nose, making him look like a pig. Anyway, Monk Gyattso had taken him aside, and scolded him.

'_What did I do?'_ Aang had cried. '_He pushed me in the dirt!' 'No, Aang!_ Gyattso had replied. '_He may have caused you a small amount of physical pain, but the emotional pain you have caused will last for all time! You will not be able to remember the pain you felt, but the boy will remember the pain of your words, for all time.'_

Now normally, Monk Gyattso was right. But now, sitting in the damp dungeons of the Fire Nation palace, the horrid pain lingered from a beating he received, three hours ago. In fact, his cheek still hurt from the first punch he received two weeks ago. There was only a small sliver of hope on his horizon, his death, which we supposed to come soon. In fact, at this point, death was the only thing he wanted. He had suffered so much in the last two weeks that he actually wished for his death, more than anything else. Aang had already lost eight of his fingers (including thumbs) and his arms had been twisted and beaten useless. His legs were constantly like jelly from blood loss. The guards who were instructed to torture him had also inflicted many other, unmentionable, things on him. It was almost hard to believe Aang once had Firebender friends. That such peoples could have ever been his "pals". He knew other Firebenders when he was younger, and they were so very different than those today.

Oh so very different. Who knew 100 years could change a people so?

"Avatar…" a dark voice, Aang had learned to hate, called. "There has been a change of plan. Lucky you, eh? The Fire Lord instead has ordered that you be brought to the front 'Agni Kai' hall." Aang looked up in desperation. The Fire Lord was suddenly much more frightening then the man who had caused him so much pain the last fourteen days. Because as he had seen, the Fire Lord had a black hole where his heart was. Aang believed, no doubt in his mind, that to gain power, the Fire Lord would have ripped his children's lungs out, and strung up their intestines if he could gain more from it. The man took away Aang's chains. Then he pulled Aang up from the dirt and dragged the Avatar to the hall of battles.

The Fire Lord was waiting there, in full dress for an Agni Kai battle. Aang was very worried now; what was the heartless creature-one Aang couldn't even _think_ of as a man anymore-was planning? He knew very well Aang couldn't fight, that his arms had twisted so much they were useless, that his legs failed him now, that his left eye was full of blood so he couldn't see. Didn't he?

"Ah, the Avatar," the Fire Lord announced, "in all his glory!" the crowd booed at Aang, but he didn't care. He never cared. He just wanted to die. "Now, Avatar, I present to you a choice, a chance really. To set yourself free from your current hell-hole life, as well as the only living friend you have left." He motioned to someone, and out from behind a far door came Zuko, who was pulling along a frightened Katara. Aang suddenly felt an inner strength rising up. "You, Avatar, have a chance to battle me, and if you succeed in defeating me, your friend, as well as you yourself, will be set free!" the crowd booed more. But the Fire Lord smiled. Aang looked to Katara, who looked so different after two weeks. Aang didn't even want to guess what Zuko had done to her, seeing she had many cuts on her arms, and bruising everywhere. But then he realized that he was much worse. Aang looked again to the Fire Lord. He stole a glance at his arms that hung down, uselessly at his sides.

The Fire Lord grew impatient. "Well?" he demanded. "Are you going to fight me?" Aang looked down to the floor. He wanted to fight, but he couldn't. Maybe, just maybe if Aang had an ounce left of strength, and of energy, he would have. He would rip the Fire Lord to pieces, and burnt his remains, and then murdered every single filthy Firebender he could find. But he couldn't. The Fire Lord saw this in the Avatar's expression and became enraged. "Chain him down! Now!" he screamed, guards quickly chained Aang to the floor. His heart rate quickened. The Fire Lord came back out to him, with a small dagger. "Last chance, Avatar," he sneered. Then he ripped open the front of Aang's shirt.

Taking the dagger, he cut a hole in Aang's stomach as the boy cried in pain. And for half an hour, the Avatar spent screaming in agony, as the acid from his stomach ate up his lungs, and he finally died.

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Three months afterward, Katara woke up one morning, in Zuko's bed, like she had for the last, almost four months she had been in the Fire Nation as a prisoner. She felt worse then she normally felt. The girl rushed into the bathroom and puked. She sobbed some, and puked again. Zuko awoke an hour later, to find her passed out on the bathroom floor.

He sent in a physician to find out what was wrong. "Prince Zuko," the old man said, nervously, wringing his hands, afraid to say what he needed to say.

"What?!" he cried. "What is wrong with Katara?!" the doctor looked down and at the floor and then back up at Zuko. "She's pregnant."


	3. A Baby Enters This World

**I do not own Avatar, sorry, I wish I did though…**

"Does, she, does she know?" Zuko asked the doctor quietly after a moment of silence. The doctor shook his head. "Good, I'll tell her. God, what am I gonna do about this, eh?" the physician remained silent, Zuko wasn't looking for an answer. After the doctor declared that Katara was fine, Zuko took her back into his chambers.

"Katara," he whispered. She looked to him. He had never whispered to her before. She had been in his control for almost four months, and he always screamed, or talked slightly louder then average to her, never a calm whisper.

"Yes," she replied. Also over those months, she had learned to respond, quickly, and respectfully. Zuko turned to her, his golden eyes seemed different than they normally did, portraying a young man, who seemed almost innocent, instead of the same, heartless Fire Prince that had raped her, and beaten her for the last, nearing four months. His hands grasped her upper arms; gently, not forcefully like he usually grabbed her. She shut her eyes out of instinct and flinched. She cautiously opened them a crack to see he wasn't about to hurt her.

"Damn, I have to tell you, it's," he looked into her eyes. "You're, pregnant." Katara stiffened. She had the fear of her conceiving with him always raping her, but she didn't expect it so soon. Gran-gran had said that it takes a normal couple about a year to conceive. But she guessed that it was so soon-jokingly at first-was because she and Zuko weren't a normal couple, or a couple at all for that matter.

Katara's hand nervously touched her own stomach, as if to see if what Zuko said was true. "That's why you were so ill," Zuko explained, quietly. His pale hand met her tanned one on her stomach, but he couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. He felt sick with himself. Looking over the last couple of months, he had caused many wounds, and marks that rested on her skin, and she was now to bear his child; the fruit of hatred between peoples. Zuko couldn't bear to meet her eyes, but let their hands continue to touch. Katara began to sob. Because deep inside of her, she knew, that they would either take the child away from her, or kill before her eyes, upon its birth, if it was a waterbender. Because that would mean it was the Avatar. It would have to, because it would be the only other waterbender that exists in the world, and Katara wasn't the Avatar, it would have to be her child.

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Now, almost eight months later, she lay in Zuko's bed, where it was warm, where she felt safe, now. Ever since they had found out about her pregnancy, things had greatly changed. Zuko didn't scream at her anymore, and he hadn't raped her since they heard, but he now couldn't bring him self to meet her eyes, he felt ashamed. Now, normally, Katara was forgiving, but she didn't think she could forgive him for what had happened to her, Sokka, Toph, or Aang. Zuko had been the one who had captured them, and if he hadn't, Aang, Toph, and Sokka would still be alive. And she wouldn't be here.

A few days later, Katara's water broke. When it happened, she had been reading a small Fire Nation history book. She didn't know why, she was just so bored that she picked it up and started reading it. When her water broke, she stood up, slowly, contractions were already starting, and they hurt. "Z-Zuko?" she stammered, looking around for him, finally finding him just outside of the War Room.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded. Seeing her out and about he became worried. "I told you, the guards around here…they aren't nice, okay? You can't come to this area of the palace!"

"Z-Zuko," Katara whispered. She looked him straight in the eyes. "My, water…broke." Zuko looked confused. Than something clicked and his eyes widened. He soon rushed her along to the infirmary.

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In the infirmary, the doctor set her up in a small bed. The contractions got worse, and she dilated quickly. "Okay, Katara, push!" the doctor commanded. Zuko could only watch, seeing Katara's pain, wishing he could in some way. Her fists clenched on the thin bed sheets that rested on the bed. he soon had an idea of what he could do. Zuko came to her side, and grasped her hand. For a moment, she looked at him and then continued with the delivery.

After many hours, a baby was finally born. It was a girl. Whilst the doctor took her away to be cleaned up, a young nurse that had been on staff, brought a small bowl of water to Katara. "Miss," she said, quietly. A guard rushed to stop her.

"Don't!" he commanded. "She is a waterbender! She will use it as a weapon!" the nurse shook her head.

"No, no," she explained. "My grandmother told me of waterbender women who had healing abilities. They helped in births, and then afterwards helped to heal the mother's wounds. Besides, there isn't enough to be used as a weapon." That was a lie. Katara knew it, Zuko knew it, as did the nurse. But Katara wouldn't try using it as a weapon. The room was filled with guards, and she was sure the doctor and nurse could bend. She was also tired. She accepted the water, and slowly, used it to heal her lower regions. The guards, as well as Zuko, looked away momentarily, for Katara's privacy. She mentally scoffed at that. They could give her the privacy to heal herself, but would brutally murder others, just as innocent as she had been? The Fire Nation was a strange bunch.

The doctor returned with the baby, she was crying still. Katara smiled, at least her lungs were strong! He gently set the baby, wrapped in pink clothe, on her chest. The girl took the infant in her arms. She appeared to be asleep now. Katara sobbed, she was happy. She hadn't been happy for almost a year, and now she was. Seeing this baby, this precious being, made her happy.

She held the baby, not realizing how long she held it, when Zuko looked at her, to hold the child. Katara nodded, but nervously handed the baby away to him, afraid he was going to hurt her. Zuko held her, being as gentle with her as he could. The baby smiled, and opened her eyes, to reveal large blue eyes. A knife struck Zuko's heart, or at least he was sure one had. The baby, was a waterbender.


	4. An Apology, Is Uttered

**I do not own Avatar, sorry, I wish I did though. Oh, and another thing, if you're going to leave a comment, don't leave one saying "shame on you! you killed the avatar! shame on you!" that's annoying…**

Zuko felt sick. The child, his child, was a waterbender. Not just a waterbender either. It was, or it had to be, the Avatar. The small infant he held in his arms, was the only thing that stood between him and ultimate power when his father was gone. This little baby was the only thing that could stop the great and powerful Fire Nation, the only thing. The thought was almost frightening. One of the guards noticed, replying with a gasp.

Zuko's face turned dark as he handed the baby away to the guard who saw her blue eyes. "Dispose of it! And send word to the Fire Lord that the newest Avatar is dead," Zuko commanded. Katara gasped. Tears began to run down her face amidst the sweat from childbirth.

"What?!? Bastard! Give me back my child, now!" she exclaimed. Zuko cast an evil look at her. Such an expression she hadn't seen for months. "Zuko! Give me my baby! If you do this, kill this baby, you will suffer! Not by me, but the very fire that you have used for so many years to inflict pain! You will burn in hell for all time! If not for everything else you have done to this day, but for this! Give me back my baby!" Katara continued to scream. The doctor, fearing that she was getting overexcited now, injected a sleeping drug into her arm. She fell limp. As the guard handed the baby to a caretaker, Zuko went off into his room.

"The baby will be executed tomorrow, by order of the Fire Prince," the guard told the caretaker. She nodded, and accepted the baby, frowning as it cooed happily. Zuko closed his bedroom door as the caretaker went off somewhere. He closed his eyes, and sighed, filled with despair. He clenched his fists and fell to the ground, his face in his hands. He felt sick. Zuko was supposed to do be a great and powerful Firebnder, and he couldn't do a thing to help a small infant? He had to do something.

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In the middle of the night, Katara was awoken by someone coming into the room she was in. She sat up, it was Zuko. "What, oh great Fire Prince, are you so heartless that you would take a woman who lost her child?" she whispered. Zuko laid something across her chest. It was the baby.

"No," he replied, sternly. "Now, in half an hour, an Earth Kingdom trading ship leaves the Southern dock. It is heading to the former capital, Ba-Sing-Se. If you were to stow the baby away on the ship, Kestrel could survive in the Earth Kingdom."

"Kestrel?" Katara asked. "Is that the baby's name?" she looked at the girl. And looked back up at Zuko, his face seemed kind.

"I'm sorry, but if you run away, guards will be sent out after you, so for your own safety, it'll probably be best to come back before morning," Zuko whispered. Katara was now holding the baby, close to her chest. Zuko rested on the hospital bed, and reached out to Kestrel, to stroke her cheek. Katara instinctively pulled the baby away from his hand, as if he was going to hurt her. Zuko's hand stopped. He stood and walked to the door. And just as he was about to leave, he froze in the doorway, and turned to Katara.

"And, I'm sorry," he whispered, before leaving completely.


	5. An End, Which Leads to a Beginning

**I do not own Avatar, sorry, I wish I did though. And the comment thing is just getting so annoying, I'm not going to say anything, so just read it and get over it!**

The next morning, Kestrel was gone, off to Ba-Sing-Se, and Katara was back in the little hospital bed, sleeping soundly and happily. Zuko was somehow able to smooth things over with the caretaker who was supposed to be watching the baby, and kept suspicions off Katara and himself. Actually, truth be told, he didn't smooth it over with the caretaker, he more…_blamed_ the caretaker, and had him put in jail.

Not long later, Katara became very sick because of the drastic weather changes in the Fire Nation's climate, and over time those differences had done their damage on the poor girl. She was pronounced dying by doctors, and only one person was allowed to see her: Zuko. In fact, Zuko was the last person with her when she was dying.

"Z-Zuko?" Katara feebly called, although he had been looming over her ever since she became sick. He came closer to her and tried to smile, try to cheer her.

"Yeah," he whispered. "I'm here." Katara smiled faintly at the familiar voice, as Zuko took her hand in his. "Are you…doing okay?" he asked, unsure of what to say at a time like this. What are you supposed to say to someone dying in front of you? 'Send me a postcard from wherever you're going'?!

"I guess," she replied in a raspy voice. "I'm going to die, so really not _too_ well." Zuko looked down at her, sadly. His thumb gently rubbing the back of her hand, as he felt her grip slowly loosening in his. "Zuko?"

"Yes?" he said, louder, sensing she was coming closer to her end. Katara looked up at him, her feeble smile still glowing. "I love you." Zuko sat, stunned. After everything he had done to her, to her friends, to her people, and still she could find inner strength to say such a thing! Its not that it wasn't something he had always wished to hear, but it still stunned him. It was a thing he had wished for, but never truly anticipated.

"I just wanted you to know before I go," she whispered, her eyes having a far away look about them. Zuko began to sob, as he pulled the Waterbender into his arms, clutching her to his chest. "I love you," he whispered to her, through his sobs. And as he held her, the last pure Waterbender, faded away in his arms.

**Woo! Finally, an update! My friend Tori has only been bugging me about it for weeks! I am sooo lae! Oh well! The end to the prologue, now onto hat Kestrel has become!**


End file.
